Ever felt remorse after opening a sealed game?

[suppafly]

As some of you might know Im a Sega collector. I specially love buying genesis and sega cd games.

From all the genesis games theres one that has a special place in my memories: Road Rash. I mustve been a huge fan considering I chose to buy it over SF2 for my SNES! I eventually bought SF2 but I never regretted buying road rash first and playing it for months!

http://i21.ebayimg.com/07/i/000/e1/d8/0385_1.JPG
The game were talking about!

A few days ago I won on ebay a sealed game that might not have any high rarity but I`ve seen its uncommon to find in the wild or in regular trades: Road rash for sega cd

I bought the game for 45 US shipped on ebay (It was an auction, not BIN) and I thought for several days: to open it or not to open it?

Yesterday I decided to open the sealed game, because the truth is that Im sure I will never sell that game...I enjoyed taking the shrinkwrap off, and to remember once again the times in the mid 90`s when Sega Cd games were cheap....

However today im not too sure I made the right decision. Opening the game certainly makes it less valuable right?

The point I want to get to is:

1) How often do you open your sealed retro games?
2) How do you decide what games to open and which to keep sealed?

Im just curious about the way that other collectors might think!

Thanks!

[Press_Start]

The point I want to get to is:

1) How often do you open your sealed retro games?
2) How do you decide what games to open and which to keep sealed?

Im just curious about the way that other collectors might think!

Thanks!

Sealed games, to me, remind me of bombs disguised as gift-wrapped presents shown in cartoons. Take for example, paying $1200 for a sealed Chrono Trigger and opening it up, only one of two outcomes will happen.

A) Instead of Chrono Trigger, you find a Shaq Fu cart and realize you got scammed. Making its worth nil.

B) You find the Chrono Trigger game there and realized you didn't get scammed. But now its value has greatly depreciated.

Either way, it explodes in your face and you won't see that money again for years.

Sealed games are strictly an investment to most collectors for their value grows as time goes. I prefer to play my games and the closest thing to sealed I will accept is complete.

[otoko]

y personal opinion is games=play. That's how I run my collection. Only around 10 or less are sealed for various reasons. From had no interest in playing (but it was there for the right price) to never got around to it. Personally I would have opened it. I love the feeling of being the first to play a game of vintage quality.

[Cinder6]

For me, if I buy sealed, it's because I want to keep it sealed.* ** If I want to play, I try to find the cheapest complete copy I can, unless it's a cart game, in which case I don't care if it's loose.

*That is, not including a copy of RayCrisis I just got. It was sealed, and pretty cheap, and I'll probably open it since I bought it to play. Plus, sealed PS1 games hold no special interest for me. It's only things like Sega CD and Saturn games that seem cool while sealed, for whatever reason.

**Note that I'm no sealed collector. Including RayCrisis, I own five sealed games. And one is just a game I haven't gotten around to playing yet (King of Fighters XI).

[RadiantSvgun]

No, when I buy games, I buy to play them. Except for my Nights bundle, which just sits on the shelf. When I buy a game, there is nothing better than that feeling of opening the plastic seal, and the new game smell. mmmm..

[MrSparkle]

hmm funny story about opening sealed sega cd games. so i buy letahl enforcers in a sealed big box thinking this will be a cool shelf topper. Get home set it down on my bed and go to take a shower. What do i find when i go back into my room but my best friend playing my previously sealed lethal enforcers. (mind you i had an open copy already!!!). anyway about 5 minutes later said best friend leans on the case and breaks it into a million pieces. So essentially i went from sealed in box to destroyed in 10 minutes flat lol.

[Bojay1997]

I buy sealed games, but my rule is if I want to play it, I open it. Having said that, I tend to buy most of my stuff at the time it comes out or usually once a price drop happens, so it's not like I'm buying games for hundreds of dollars and then opening them. Ultimately, I think buying expensive sealed games is a mistake for a number of reasons, the primary of which is that the chances of making a reasonable profit on a game you paid $1200 for is relatively low, especially when you factor in storage costs, Paypal fees, Ebay fees, the hassle of shipping stuff out, etc... and particularly when compared to what you could make if you invested that money or used it to pay off credit cards, other debt, etc... I guess I think collecting just about everything is a bad investment and I only do it because I enjoy it, not because I am concerned about the value of my collection.

[Superman]

I have only opened one sealed game and that was Enduro Racer for the Sega Master System. To some extent I do regret opening it since it is not 'brand new' anymore, but I opened it because I wanted to play it. Besides, what is better than playing a new game, even if it is 5, 10, 15 years old?

Of course if you are spending a lot of money to get a sealed game, it is something that each person will look at differently. As Press_Start noted, if you are planning on possibly selling in the future, opening it only reduces the value. If you are planning on keeping it then it is up to the buyer to determine how much he or she wants to pay for a new game to play.

[scooterb23]

Open and play it.

Until that point, all you have is a box with plastic around it...and what fun is that?

[outsider]

In the past I would always open games as soon as I got them. Now I wait until I know I will have time to play, as it makes no sense to lower the value of a game if you're not sure when/if you'll play it.

The only opening remorse I can think of would be some games that I got cheap($2-$4) and made good trade credit on during the last PS2/XB/GC trade-3-get an extra $10 deal at Gamestop. I opened and traded copies of Star Wars: KOTOR, Pikmin 2, Zelda: Four Swords and several others that I probably should have kept sealed.

[Sudo]

I only buy games to play them, not look at them as a rule of thumb. If I were to come across a relatively cheap sealed Chrono Trigger or something similar, however, I'd obviously have no qualms about selling it off even though it's my favorite game. ;)

[namzep]

I general, I just like opening things. Presents, boxes, games; it doesn't matter. I do have some sealed games but that's mostly just stuff I picked up and haven't gotten around to playing yet. Out of my collection of 600+ maybe 35 or so sealed.

[Iron Draggon]

well I've spent $100's on rare and false rare sealed games more than once, just so I could open them and play them, and I've never regretted opening them... and you shouldn't regret opening a sealed game that you really want to play either... if you know you'll value it far more opened than sealed, then it doesn't matter if it's worth far more sealed than open... what's important is what it's worth to you, not what it's worth to someone else... especially if you intend to keep it and play it and enjoy it, as it was meant to be played!

now as for this particular game, I think you made a very good choice... I'm a big fan of the Road Rash series also, and the Sega CD version is unique... I guarantee you that the more you play that game, the more you're gonna be glad that you opened it, so you could experience all that it has to offer...

[Pantechnicon]

For the most part, in my house the only sealed title are ones I simply haven't gotten around to playing yet. So in my case it's the opposite: remorse for not yet having/finding/making time to indeed open it up and enjoy the gameplay experience.

[otaku]

I kinda regret opening and using a brand new dreamcast that had sat unused for 7+ years now but then I don't cause its nice knowing I'm the first owner/user and its in such nice shape (most used dcs especially in pawnshops are trashed)

[Fuyukaze]

I've got plenty of sealed games but not because I'm a sealed nut. It's that I dont see the need to open a game untill I'm able to get around to playing it. The sad truth is over the years I've come to realize that all the games I've bought new, I rarely have the time to play. As such, why open them if all I'm going to do is look at them for the time being? If you bought Road Rash to play, and have done so, then what does it matter if it has future value? Now, if you were like me and got it new for future play and never touched it, that'd be a different story.

[Coldguy]

Video games are meant to be played, not stared at....I have no shame in unsealing them.

[InsaneDavid]

There are plenty of threads about this (not particularly the remorse topic) I've posted in but my views haven't changed any.

There is nothing like opening some of these old games for the first time these days - especially NES titles. There was always something cool in the box other than the neatly bagged and sleeved cartridge and the perfectly tucked in booklet. Nintendo Power subscription cards, NES propaganda pamphlets, mini posters, 3D glasses, all kinds of cool extra stuff. Years ago I loved buying all my Jaguar and Lynx stuff brand new and sealed from United Game Source, it allowed me to get back to an era (and pair of platforms) of gaming that I couldn't afford at the time. Of course I never drop big amounts for most games so when I find a cheap sealed game I usually pop it right open. (unless it's something I know someone would like, which I usually end up selling here)

I own a grand total of one sealed game, a copy of Gale Racer (JPN) for the Saturn. I have an open copy so I'll probably leave it sealed. My girlfriend bought me a copy for my birthday shortly after I bought one myself. Not valuable at all really, but it's the lone port of one of my all time favorite arcade games (Rad Mobile) so I don't mind having a sealed copy. Now StarTropics is my favorite NES game and I ended up getting a pair of sealed copies a few weeks ago when I bought a large assortment of boxed NES games. One of them had severe mold damage under the plastic (as did a couple games I ended up with, and all the ones I left behind) so I opened it up. Sure enough it was a lost cause. However the other copy looked fine. No problem, since I was going to put it on the shelf anyway. Yet I worried that internally it may have been messed up, so I opened it - only to realize it was perfect inside. No big deal since a complete copy on the shelf is fine by me (my original copy was a used one I bought years ago). For a couple days though I regretted opening it, until seeing how cheaply I could get another sealed one if I wanted. I did end up replacing the staple in the manual though, it was oxidized.

[Jimmy Yakapucci]

I have a number of sealed games sitting around, but they are usually ones that I haven't gotten to yet or bought for trade bait. The ones that I do regret opening are those that after I play them for a while, don't like. I may have been able to trade them away for more sealed.

JY

[bb_hood]

hmm funny story about opening sealed sega cd games. so i buy letahl enforcers in a sealed big box thinking this will be a cool shelf topper. Get home set it down on my bed and go to take a shower. What do i find when i go back into my room but my best friend playing my previously sealed lethal enforcers. (mind you i had an open copy already!!!). anyway about 5 minutes later said best friend leans on the case and breaks it into a million pieces. So essentially i went from sealed in box to destroyed in 10 minutes flat lol.

Thats wicked funny, seriously. Sounds like people I know...

[Dr. Dib]

I, like many other people in the topic, own sealed games that are sealed because I haven't gotten around to play them. I've slowed down on this habit, however, so I only have one sealed game. Of course I've never found any classic sealed games.

I did have some second thoughts on opening a game. A few months ago I was planning on playing Viewtiful Joe. I had purchased a copy at Target when they had a deal on Player's choice games, but never got around to playing it. I thought to myself that it might be worth something someday if it reaches cult classic status. I did decide to open it though as I really wanted to play it.

[jb143]

I highly doubt that most people here would open a rare/expensive game if they bought it for a buck at a thrift store...just sell it and buy 20 of the opened games you want.

But my question is...is there really that much of a price difference for sealed game and a complete in box game if they're not rare or otherwise highly sought after?

I'd have no problem opening a sealed game if it wasn't worth much and I wanted to play it. But opening a sealed game that's only worth a lot sealed...that's kind of like using a 1943 copper penny as a penny...and not an $80,000 investment.

But...ah well...let the debate continue :argue:

[SkiDragon]

Unfortunately, I do feel remorse in opening a sealed game. I don't place great value in them myself, but since so many other people do, I am forced to consider the value loss in opening a game. When I am trying to decide on a game to play, I tend to skip over the sealed ones and thus they continue to sit on my shelf. It's one of the reasons I prefer to buy used games.

EDIT: I would gladly trade a sealed copy of a game for a complete opened copy, plus a little cash.

[Niku-Sama]

HELL NO!

and i have opened some pretty desireable sealed games too!

[suppafly]

Thanks for your replies

Itss been really interesting.

I have to recognize Im not sure either of when to open a sealed game

I guess that if its a VERY expensive game I´d rather sell it and buy it CIB and keep the rest of the $$$$

[Lemmi_Is_God]

i have about 30+ games sealed for my 3DO, and about 25 or so for my atari 2600/7800

the only reason they stay sealed is because i havent had a chance to sit down and play the sealed ones for my 3do (also some of them are the edutainment titles so they arent really worth opening to begin with)
and the ones for my atari 2600/7800 are games i got really cheap and ive played them already or had an extra loose one

example: i have a sealed 2600 Ice Hockey and a loose one... etc
i have many sealed 7800 titles because osheas was selling them for $2 each back in the day, and all of them i had already loose but i couldnt pass up the $2 for a nice boxed copy

the only one i would have regretted opening up would have been the 3do dinopark tycoon (if i had one sealed that is) i had a complete one but i could have got alot more money if it was sealed

so the more expensive the game is the less likely i would open it, but since i dont buy games that are sealed normally this wont be a problem for me :) so i would rip off that wrap and play

[sirhansirhan]

The only opening remorse I can think of would be some games that I got cheap($2-$4) and made good trade credit on during the last PS2/XB/GC trade-3-get an extra $10 deal at Gamestop. I opened and traded copies of Star Wars: KOTOR, Pikmin 2, Zelda: Four Swords and several others that I probably should have kept sealed.

If you want your remorse to get worse, check the completed auctions on eBay for Pikmin 2--since the last time I checked (about a year ago), it went from $15 to $70, and that's for an opened copy.

The only non-current generation sealed game I ever opened was a big box Sega CD Lethal Enforcers about a year or two ago, because I wanted a non-junk Justifier to play my newly-acquired Snatcher with. I don't regret it.

[thetoxicone]

If you want your remorse to get worse, check the completed auctions on eBay for Pikmin 2--since the last time I checked (about a year ago), it went from $15 to $70, and that's for an opened copy.

The only non-current generation sealed game I ever opened was a big box Sega CD Lethal Enforcers about a year or two ago, because I wanted a non-junk Justifier to play my newly-acquired Snatcher with. I don't regret it.

Not about opening but selling, I got a copy of Pikmin 2 for 1.99 new on clearance before the price increase and sold it for $10, fast forward awhile later its worth a crapload.

On the side of sealed games, like others here, I keep them sealed until I will play them that way if I decide to sell it is worth a bit more than otherwise. I could easily name 10-15 xbox games I got for cheap through their retail program when I worked at Best Buy that I opened immediately and I'm pretty sure most of them didn't get played until months after that and some didn't even get played until after I sold them.

[DefaultGen]

.....

[Ed Oscuro]

Yes. Orcs & Elves for DS - remorse mostly at having bought it. The inability to return it makes me sad.

[Niku-Sama]

most of my sealed games are just games i either forgot i had and bought another copy or a game i picked up for cheap and never really bothered with it.
i have a sealed copy of Odama, Pole Position (2600), ChroroQ (PS2 $1.95), and various other PS2 games all because i got them hella cheap or i already had another copy OR i fogot i had them and bought another (choroQ)

[Sosage]

Although my stance is that "games are meant to be played", I'll admit that I do have a few sealed titles. Such as my signed Lost Planet LE (shrinkwrap is off, but the sticker that seals the game closed is still in tact) and some older PC games I can't run on my system.

What is the real regret here? Loss of possible future profits or that you feel there is one less sealed copy of Sega CD Road Rage to archive for future generations? The latter is something I don't see people bring up much in these discussions, yet I think it is probably very relevant. Especially considering we could easily emulate most of this stuff via one X-Box, yet we feel compelled to archive and own the real media (usually at the cost of valuable living space). Playing on the real thing may be a big motivator, but I think we are trying to do our part to save something from being lost. In that sense, I could see cracking a seal being slightly difficult.

[Ed Oscuro]

[...] or that you feel there is one less sealed copy of Sega CD Road Rage to archive for future generations? The latter is something I don't see people bring up much in these discussions, yet I think it is probably very relevant.
But does having shrinkwrap around a game truly "preserve" it? Not if it has a leaking battery. What'll be important to future gaming historians are the games and their development histories, not sealed copies of games. Shrinkwrap just slightly protects a game from the elements and is supposed to keep the box art/jewel case from getting messed up, but that's all.

[Trevelyan]

Well i do nowerdays! I have a fetish for sealed goods, so i do kinda feel a bit gutted when their out of the shrinkwrap. Still, i can't afford to buy two copies of everything, so the show must go on.

I'm always on the look-out for sealed games for consoles I collect for. But I'd always make sure (in 99% of cases) I had the game to play as well.

[Sosage]

But does having shrinkwrap around a game truly "preserve" it? Not if it has a leaking battery. What'll be important to future gaming historians are the games and their development histories, not sealed copies of games. Shrinkwrap just slightly protects a game from the elements and is supposed to keep the box art/jewel case from getting messed up, but that's all.

True. That is probably the best way to look at it if preservation is the reason people are keeping the shrink on. So tear away. =)

[suppafly]

True. That is probably the best way to look at it if preservation is the reason people are keeping the shrink on. So tear away. =)

Talking about preservetion Ive got another tough decision right now.

I just bought 3 sealed genesis games: strider, ristar and granada.

I *think* I will open them...

[Coleman]

I guess I will jump in here...

Sealed games suck!

No really... My favorite part about the beggar prince game was that there was no plastic wrap on it! I buy games to play them not to sit them on a shelf some where - any time i buy ANYthing that is not current gen I can't bring myself to pop the shrink on it. I mean if i really want to play a game and my copy is sealed - someone out there has a copy that is complete - minty fresh - and would not mind upgrading so i will trade and hopefully make a profit!

That being said - what does a copy of road rash cost if it is complete but used? Lets say it goes for $30... that means your plastic wrap distruction cost you what - like $15? Was it worth it??? Sure there is a certain amount of enjoyment everyone gets from that new game smell that you don't get to re-live very often but other than that - factor in the cost of shipping / time spent searching / frustration from not wanting to open the game you really want to play... all of this should have a monetary value for you...

For me that monetary value >$15! but for me the regret comes from knowing that if I just would have waited that I could have traded my sealed road rash to someone that really wanted a "Sealed" copy for a complete copy + other cool stuff - chances are the value of the other cool stuff > $15!x

[calthaer]

I sit on top of my hoard, like Smaug upon his heap of jewels in the heart of the Lonely Mountain. I caress the goldwork in my hoard, looking at this sealed copy of one game, that sealed copy of another. I twitter and cackle with glee as I savor each and every one of My Preciouses.

At night, I lie awake thinking of the minty freshness of my games, and when I eventually do sleep, I dream of the thrilled judges at some rating organization who would bestow upon My Preciouses a glorious plastic case.

But no, I never PLAY my games. I keep all my systems in sealed boxes, too - they are all limited-edition ones that are accruing in value even as we speak. I installed a gas fire suppression system in my house to protect my gaming collection in case of fire, and have a sophisticated alarm system.

Bow before my leetness, little hobbitses who crave my hoard!

[The 1 2 P]

I should have never opened my copy of FF7. I played it for like 15 minutes before I got bored. Had I kept it sealed I could have gotten quite a bit more than the $15 I paid for it back in the day at Best Buy.

[scooterb23]

Hell, sell it anyway...even open some crazy person will pay way too much for it.


I should have never opened my copy of FF7. I played it for like 15 minutes before I got bored. Had I kept it sealed I could have gotten quite a bit more than the $15 I paid for it back in the day at Best Buy.

[FrakAttack]

Yeah, but for a totally different reason. This afternoon I absentmindedly picked up Viva Piñata: Party Animals thinking I was grabbing the original game and opened it before I noticed my mistake so now I can't return it. So, I'm stuck with a lame mini-game collection that has no appeal to me whatsoever. :frustrated:

[DragonBomber]

I do not think this has ever come up for me. Video game figures and toys but not games. Well, only once recently. I paid too much for a label variant for a copy of Japanese Saturn Bomberman SS: Xband Edition on eBay. The front cover artwork is totally different artwork though the game itself on the disc is only marginally different, and not enough to make me open it.

This lack of urgency to open the game is compounded when you figure that I have a screw loose and feel I still need to buy the original Bomberman SS release, as I only have the Budget Release with white and red bordering on the front cover now. So sitting down or even next to Bomberman: Fight! and Bomberman Wars, the Budget Release of the first one seriously lacks. I won't be happy until I get that normal golden brown frame thing of many import Saturn titles that is on the original release. Then I need to get the UK edition with black toned front cover, then somehow not get raped on the US release. I only saw it once in my life for sale in person, and I was broke at the time. :(

[COUNT SMRIFNACK]

I just opened a sealed copy of Lethal Enforcers for Sega CD today, and I feel great about it!!! It was meant to be played, and it now has been.

I have sealed copy of Cotton (US version) in the mail on it's way to me as I type. And when it gets here...... it shall be opened!!!:cheers:

[The 1 2 P]

Right now I'm debating on rather or not to play Ninja Gaiden 3 because I just beat 2 yesterday. I have NG 3 sealed for the Nes, the Atari Lynx and the Snes(Ninja Gaiden Trilogy). I'd much rather play the Nes version but I just can't bring myself to open it. Looks like I'll be stuck with the shitty Lynx version...if I can bring myself to open that one:(

[ReaXan]

I can't understand why people would open a sealed game if they got it for collection purposes and not to play? Couldnt you just get a ROM of it and play it that way and save the disapointment?

[Gandalf42]

Yup.. I bought a copy of Radiant Silvergun when Babbages was getting rid of their short lived import section for a mere $15. I had a modded Saturn so the normal course was to rip to an ISO then mod the country code and play it off the backup. So I figured I'd just look for it pre-ripped then mod the country code and bask in my pristine sealed copy. But I couldn't find one online so I just opened it...

Five days later I found the image floating by on Usenet. :bad-words:

[Famidrive-16]

A) Instead of Chrono Trigger, you find a Shaq Fu cart and realize you got scammed. Making its worth nil.

This is amazing.

[deltoidsteep]

i found a sealed copy of space invaders a few months ago. cant remember how much i paid for it but i think it was under 5 bucks. i did open it though so i could check out the instructions and such. i didnt bother checking ebay and whatnot to see how much i could have sold it for. was it a bad decision?

[The 1 2 P]

It was hard enough for me to open up my factory sealed copy of Castlevania: Bloodlines but I really wanted to play it. I have since bought another factory sealed copy(the clamshell version) so that I still have one sealed and one to play. But yeah, it's an interesting inner struggle you go thru with factory sealed games and I'm glad I'm not the only gamer going thru it.

[Ed Oscuro]

Don't be a tard, put the sealed copy on eBay, get your two hundred bucks, and buy a loose one (or even a complete/like new copy; with that much money you can buy multiple copies if you have to).

Victory!

I don't really care for the sealed part, but man, you're walking out of quite a bit of money when you open up some NES games.